1. Field
This disclosure generally relates to respiratory devices and more particularly to a vibrating device and method that assist in breaking up and dislodging accumulated fluids and solids generated or residing in a patient's lungs, respiratory tract or sinuses, and/or assist in opening constricted airway passages and sinus passages.
2. General Background
People and other animal patients that have lung diseases such as, among other things, cystic fibrosis, bronchiactasis, acute and chronic asthma, pneumonia, sinusitis, and chronic bronchitis, have a difficult time breaking up, dislodging, and expelling mucus, phlegm and other secretions and infectious materials that develop and/or reside in the lungs, sinuses and respiratory track. The presence of this material in the lungs, bronchial and tracheal passages, and sinuses, provides an excellent media for growth of bacteria. For treatment of the condition, rotation of antibiotics is often used to treat the bacterial infections that result. Postural drainage with induced vibration, percussive therapy and/or the use of a mechanical device such as a flutter valve are often used to help the patient dislodge this mucus material. Likewise, people and animals with constrictive airway diseases such as asthma and sinusitis have difficulty opening airway and sinus passages.
Several active acoustic respiratory therapy devices are described in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,058,932, 6,167,881, 5,893,361, and 5,829,429. Each of these devices develops a series of acoustic vibrations, e.g. audible tones at various magnitudes and frequencies, which are directed through a patient's mouth and airways directly into the lungs, rather than through the damped tissue of the patient's chest wall as has heretofore been a standard percussive therapeutic practice.